Sunday, December 4, 2016

Christmas is such a magical time for children and adults alike. This activity will help keep that magic alive and get students doing some writing.

My classroom elf will be stopping by with some Tic-Tacs Magic Christmas Seeds, a bowl and some sugar.

He'll have instructions with him and I'll have a few candy canes tucked aside along with a writing flip book for them to record their observations. My plan is to have the candy canes 'grow' when they are out for recess. :)

Thursday, December 1, 2016

Happy December!!! I absolutely love the holidays and enjoying a few candy canes is no exception! Using those yummy treats in my lesson planning is a no-brainer! For that reason, I've put together my Candy Cane Investigations to engage students and get them writing!

This learning pack is editable to suit your students and their needs. For my class I placed min candy canes in water, 7-Up and vinegar and let the magic happen!

I've provided lots of options and made it easy for you to differentiate.

You can find this learning pack HERE at my TPT store and as always, the first 3 people who comment in this post with their emails will get a copy. :)

Wednesday, November 30, 2016

As a review of representing numbers to 20 I created a number maze of ten frames, dice, dominoes, fingers and tallies and my students had a blast!!! So much so that I thought I'd share it with you as a freebie.

This activity really showed me who my quick subitizers were and who needed a bit more more practice. Click HERE to download and enjoy!!

Tuesday, November 29, 2016

I've had requests to create more resources with the building block theme so here's my latest :)

To play this game students work with a partner or a small group and roll 2 dice, decide if they want to add or subtract the numbers and cover the result on their playing card. They need to do quick mental math and decide is adding or subtracting would benefit their game.

An "I can..." card is included to build student independence.I have included both color and black and white options. Given the state of my color ink I should have printed in black and white ... a trip to Staples is in my near future!

Lego pieces as playing pieces would be perfect with this theme :) You can find this game HERE in my TPT store and it's part of the CYBER sale that ends at midnight.As always, the first 3 people to comment on this post will get a copy :)

Monday, November 14, 2016

I am a happy gal tonight ... you know that feeling of finishing report cards? That's me, now just to finish parent teacher conferences next week and then it's all things Christmas!

With the extra time on my hands I can get some products that I've been using ready to post in my store. First up ... a new math work station.

My students have gained a solid understanding of addition and subtraction, but are having a bit more trouble deciding which to use when given a choice. I created this math work station to help reinforce this skill.

To play this game students work with a partner or a small group and roll 2 dice, decide if they want to add or subtract the numbers and cover the result on their playing card.An "I can..." card is included to build student independence.I have included both color and black and white options.

Although the gingerbread theme is perfect for Christmas this product does not contain any reference to Christmas which may be important in some schools.

It won't take your students long to figure out if adding the dice together or subtracting the smaller number from the larger will benefit them. Imagine the quick mental math happening!

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

I'm not sure what the weather is like where you are, but here in the east we have been spoiled by an absolutely gorgeous fall! The colors on the trees are more vibrant than I have seen them in recent years! I LOVE seeing the seasons change, but must admit I'm not looking forward to winter. Fingers crossed that it goes easy on us this year.

I've included 2 investigation options that work with my students and my class, and 3 different recording options (my class is so diverse that I needed to use all three!). I've also included an editable download so you can choose the investigations that work for your class.

Here's the one that I am using ... (with boy and girl scientist options)

I placed candy corn in water, 7-Up and vinegar and after just 30 minutes it looked like this ... ummm YUCK! But the language ... fizzled, bubbles, dissolved ...

Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Today was my first day back to school ... enough said! Right?!?BUT I have the best way to celebrate - a GIVEAWAY!I feel so fortunate to have been asked to help Hameray Publishing with a giveaway!! One lucky winner is going to win the Complete Joy Cowley Orange Set valued at $85!!!! That's 15 brand new books for your classroom!!!Joy Cowley Collection Orange Set features Joy's "learning with laughter" writing style, made famous by the Mrs. Wishy-Washy books, in fifteen leveled readers with cute recurring characters: Oscar, The Gruesomes, Barbie the Lamb, and more! Written at guided reading levels E–I, these books are perfect for students reading at a first-grade level.

You can explore these titles and Hameray's other literacy materials HERE.Here's a peek into one of these wonderful books:

I can picture my kiddos singing this song now!So, what are you waiting for? Be sure to click HERE to enter this amazing giveaway!!!! The contest will run for one week. Good luck!!!